Mercer County qualifies for youth substance abuse prevention funds

Jun. 23—By GREG JORDAN

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

PRINCETON — Two members of the Senate Appropriations Committee announced Tuesday that the Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities was eligible to receive up to $125,000 through the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program.

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito,R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., serving on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that the Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities was eligible to receive up to $125,000 through the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program. This funding is made available through the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and will help establish collaboration among communities to prevent and reduce substance use among young people.

"I have often said that community based solutions are among the most effective in our continued battle against the opioid and addiction crisis. No two places are the same, and our approach towards substance use prevention needs to reflect the individual people in specific areas," Capito said. "The Drug-Free Communities program provides support to coalitions on the ground and helps provide the focused approach to substance use prevention that the youth of our state need. I will continue to use my role on the Senate Appropriations Committee to advocate for resources like these as we continue to battle the challenges created by the addiction crisis."

"The Drug-Free Communities Support Program plays a critical role in combatting and preventing drug misuse among West Virginia youth and across the country," Manchin stated. "Every West Virginian knows all too well the impacts of the drug epidemic on our communities, friends, family and loved ones. I am pleased this funding will be invested in Community Connections in Mercer County for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program. I will continue to advocate for support in West Virginia's fight against the drug epidemic in every way possible."

County Commissioner Greg Puckett, who is a member of the Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities, said that the funding announced Tuesday is a continuation of a grant from the DFC.

"It's year four of a five-year allocation, and it's really to build the local coalition in addressing substance abuse and also negative health outcomes," Puckett said. "We changed the coalition's name a few years ago because we wanted to address public health beyond drug abuse. We look at everything from the substance abuse rate, underage drinking, vaping and tobacco use."

The five-year grant is for $625,000, Puckett said. The coalition has partnered with local ballparks with quit vaping signs, painted a tobacco prevention barn in Speedway, helped set up the Blessing Boxes project where needy people can find food, and helped to make COVID vaccinations more accessible to people.

"We just tried to do everything we could to promote good comprehensive health," Puckett said.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com